When you're having a run of bad luck, you can choke on cold water—Logan had that exact feeling right now.
What the hell is this supposed to be…
Running into Thresh just to activate the Codex—wait. Logan suddenly realized something.
Was he really "running into" Thresh by coincidence?
Looking at the Purple Prison Mountain deity staring at him with shining eyes, Logan's mouth twitched twice.
And Thresh's next words gave him the answer, wiping away all doubt.
"Not a wasted trip after all. There's actually a soul like yours in Purple Prison Mountain… You're even more fascinating than the woman I saw last time—the one carrying a broken sword. How did you do it?" On his handsome face, those deep, pink eyes brimmed with manic joy. Thresh tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and drew in a long breath.
"So fragrant… so fragrant. You know that? My very soul is trembling for you." Like a sick, unstable lunatic, Thresh kept his eyes closed, hugged one shoulder with a hand, lifted his chin, and let out a shuddering moan.
"Lost soul… what exactly are you? The song your soul sings—I've never heard anything like it. Where did you wander here from? You're lost, aren't you? You need help, and I… just happen to be able to find you a direction."
He opened his eyes and looked straight at Logan.
The joy in his gaze had already been stained with madness.
These "deities" in Spirit Blossom existed because of obsession—and Thresh's obsession was seeking… and torment.
Main-universe Thresh was dangerous enough. Spirit Blossom Thresh was on a whole different level.
Under Thresh's gaze, Logan stammered and stared up at him on the snake's head. After a long moment, Logan raised a finger, pointed at his own mouth, and mumbled, "Uh… uh…"
"Mute?"
"HAHAHA!" Thresh laughed loudly. "Lost soul… kid, there's no such thing as a mute soul!"
The moment his voice fell, Thresh vanished from in front of Logan.
Then a voice sounded from behind him.
"Hsss—"
Breath washed over Logan's neck. He clutched at his throat and spun around, only to find Thresh bent down, face-to-face with him.
Only then did Logan realize Thresh had to be pushing three meters tall.
They were so close it hurt.
Meeting those pink-tinged eyes, Logan felt as if he were standing naked in front of Thresh—except what he felt wasn't shame.
It was a terror he couldn't put into words.
Those eyes were an abyss, swallowing his soul.
"Don't be afraid, kid. This isn't true pain."
[Soul Strength is decreasing!]
[Summoner, escape immediately!]
Escape your ass!
If I could escape, I would've run a long time ago!
Hearing the system's warning, Logan cursed in his head.
This shitty system—was it sure it was trying to help him?
Was it a joke? Like he didn't want to run?
No—if you're so helpful, then tell me how the hell I'm supposed to run!
"Let me see what you really are."
"Your soul… delightful. Beautiful. You're rarer than the trillions upon trillions I've seen!" Thresh stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, and reached his long hand toward the top of Logan's head.
The hand wasn't fast or slow—but in Logan's eyes, time itself seemed to freeze.
What Logan saw was no longer purple bamboo.
It was a dim violet lantern, looming behind Thresh.
His adaptability really was insane—so insane it was almost offensive.
Because in a situation like this, Logan still had the brainpower to notice that Thresh's nails were long—long like beast claws.
Is this really what I should be thinking about right now?!
Just as Thresh's hand was about to touch Logan's head, an ethereal voice rang out.
"Stop!"
A flash of white light burst forth. Logan felt his body yanked by another force, dragged backward—away from Thresh.
But Logan couldn't turn his head, because Thresh's expression had already changed.
His face darkened, turning vicious. Behind him, on that huge, antique-looking violet lantern, a pair of eyes opened.
Then, starting around two-thirds of the lantern's height, a裂 crack split and spread—forming something like a horrific mouth.
[Soul Strength is decreasing!]
[Soul is being healed!]
[Soul Strength is decreasing!]
[Soul is being healed!]
The system's rapid beeping hammered inside Logan's skull. He threw his head back in agony, trying to scream—only to find he couldn't even make a sound.
Behind him, white light was pulling at his body.
In front of him, violet-black light was pulling at his body.
"Damn it—YOU again!" Thresh snarled coldly.
"Long time no see, Thresh. Have you counted how many souls you've collected lately?"
The ethereal voice was beautiful, and there was a faint, teasing smile in its tone.
"Get lost! That soul is mine!"
"Nope~ Guiding lost souls to their path is my duty, Thresh. I'm not handing him over to you. Not happening."
"How many times are you going to stop me?!"
"Until you stop harming these wandering souls, Thresh." The pleasant voice didn't yield an inch.
Logan looked at the descent timer, pain twisting his face.
[00:10]
[00:9]
[00:8]
As the seconds counted down, Logan waited for the timer to hit zero.
What a joke…
He'd thought Spirit Blossom was something you could enter casually, and that death came with no punishment or consequences.
But now it was obvious—that was just Logan being naive.
To powerful demigods like these, trapping him inside the Spirit Blossom realm was completely within their ability.
He didn't know whether being killed by them would instantly send him back to the Spirit Blossom space… but this was clearly not the time to "test it."
Logan didn't know who the sudden second "deity" was, but the white light—and the fact that they were opposing Thresh—made one thing clear:
The one helping him was a Kanmei deity.
That was good news.
Because they were holding Thresh back. Otherwise, Logan might already be a part of Thresh's lantern.
3
2
And the descent time reached its final second.
[This descent has ended!]
[Calculating exploration value…]
[Accumulated rewards being obtained]
"Bzzz!"
A strange light suddenly appeared between the gentle white glow and the heavy violet glow. In the next instant, Logan—caught between the two forces—vanished from the scene.
"No!"
With Thresh's furious roar, the two immense powers slammed into each other. Purple Prison Mountain shook. The earth churned. The lake surged and roiled.
"Fox—YOU let him get away! Just a little more! Just a little more and I would've succeeded!" Thresh's voice twisted into something pained and chaotic.
"A good thing, Thresh. I don't know how he did it either, but he's so clever. I like him. And this time, I stopped you again~" The ethereal voice let out a soft, girlish laugh.
"Until next time, Thresh."
"We'd better never meet again." Watching the white light fade, the fox tail shrinking away, Thresh said darkly.
He couldn't do a thing to her.
In the entire Spirit Blossom realm…
No one could do a thing to her.
Because she was the guide for lost souls—the savior spirit of this world.
And also…
His sworn enemy.
In the Purple Bamboo Forest, Thresh lowered himself and stared at the small footprints on the ground. He reached out, gently tracing them with his fingers, his nose twitching slightly as he inhaled.
"I won't let you run, kid. I'll find you."
"Just a little more…"
"Just a little more."
He plunged his hand hard into the earth. Then he lifted it, scooping up the soil where the footprints were stamped.
And he poured that dirt into the lantern at his waist.
After that, Thresh vanished into the Purple Bamboo Forest.